MillerCoors Strikes Three-Year 'Official Beer' Deal With FX Networks

Gets Category Exclusivity on Program Integrations on FX, FXX and FXM

MillerCoors has signed a deal making it the official beer sponsor of FX Networks for three years, the companies said today.

The partnership gives MillerCoors category exclusivity for program integrations on FX, FXX and FXM shows that don't already have deals with other brewers, as well as first dibs on placement rights for FX programs in development. The company will also have a strong presence on FXNow, the network's digital app, and access to behind-the-scenes footage for use on MillerCoors' social media channels.

The pact adds to a similar deal that MillerCoors struck with Turner Broadcasting in 2013 and renewed for 2014, making the marketer's brands the only beers featured in product placements on TNT and TBS, ranging from cans and barware to tap-handles and trucks. At the time, the deal was unique for its breadth.

MillerCoors has been a long-time partner of FX, previously securing exclusive category placement in "Sons of Anarchy" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Initial integrations under the new deal include Miller Lite and Miller High Life in "The Americans," Coors Light and Blue Moon in the upcoming drama series "The Strain," Miller Lite and Leinenkugel's in "Fargo" and Miller Lite in "The Bridge."

Interpublic Group's Initiative, MillerCoors' media agency of record, brokered the deal for the companies. MillerCoors declined to comment on the financial terms.

MillerCoors will also be the official beer sponsor of all FX Network's corporate events and gets the ability to use FX's marks and logos during promotional events. FX called the deal the most comprehensive advertising deal yet for its suite of channels.

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In this article:

Jeanine Poggi

Jeanine Poggi covers the TV industry and how broadcast and cable networks and distributors are adopting to the changes in the world of TV advertising. She joined Ad Age in 2012, following six years covering the retail and media industries and other financial sectors for Women's Wear Daily, Forbes and TheStreet.

E.J. Schultz

E.J. Schultz is the Chicago Bureau Chief at Ad Age and covers beverage, automotive and sports marketing. He is a former reporter for McClatchy newspapers, including the Fresno Bee, where he covered business and state government and politics, and the Island Packet in South Carolina. He has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the South Carolina Press Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors. A native of Cincinnati, Schultz has an economics degree from Xavier University and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University.